Went aridin' last weekend, and, can you believe it? I took pictures along the way and now
I'm posting them here.
As usual, I posted an invite in the CA section, but the takers were ....there weren't any.
So, off I went, south for a bit and then east and up out of the valley on Highway 4.
Out the door shortly after sunrise, and gliding along through the crisp morning air.
(I wrote that.)
This motard dude jumped in behind me and ran up on me, ...
and considered passing the old dude on the bagger,
.... but then he was made understand the diff between 450cc's and 1298 YAMAHA cubic centimeters
of displacement! hahahaha. ....How juvenile. I'm ashamed.
(I'm probably lucky the road wasn't real twisty, given my skills. :blink: )
Moving along.
Well, normally, when I go up Hwy. 4, I ride through Angel's Camp, and just as you're leaving town, you take a left, and head on up. So since I was daydreaming, that's what I did this time.
Well, there's been some changes.
What the ....?
So, I went back and realized that I'd driven right by the new turn-off.
I don't like it, but I suppose it's progress.
Okie doke.
Not far up the road, at about 2500 ft., sits the cool little town of Murphys. Named by the
Murphy boys who were a couple of the first fellows to bring wagons over the Sierras back in the mid-1800's.
This is main street and the Murphys Hotel.
(Mark Twain and Ulysses S. Grant stayed here -and signed the register- back when Dr. Rich was just a teen.)
Lots of folks come up here, park their cars, and just walk all over town.
Another victim of the poor economy?
Another shot of the hotel, but with a pretty gal walking by.
Continuing up the hill. Looks like Oregon, huh? Except without the sneaky LEO's.
As you go higher, the trees get smaller and the forest less dense.
A few miles from the pass, the road narrows suddenly, the center line goes away, and Lake Alpine
appears on your right - - - unless you're riding backwards, and then it would be ........
I came up behind three couples on H-D's just past Alpine, and instead of passing them, I just followed at
a respectful distance for a good few miles. It was very relaxing, and I'm sure they were having a
really great time, just rumbling along, enjoying the incredible scenery. Me too.
It looked like this...
You actually see a lot of motorcycles on this road on weekends.
Well, ......not that many. But a good few. Even some "fat" bikes.
Just before the summit area, there's good old Mosquito Lake.
Well stocked with walleye. That's a native fish found only in this lake. Nowhere else.
Nice country up here. AND, it stays relatively cool of course, while the valley is sweltering. Hovered around
70 this day.
I had brought a sack lunch, so I turned off the main road...
and found a spot where I could "set a spell".
Encountered a family with a half-dozen horses, preparing to head out into the high country on an outing.
Only got pics of the horses.
Nice brand. (I had just been listening to U2 and Mary J. Blige singing One.)
Not sure what this horsey body-language was saying.
And then down the other side.
I'll wrap up this mess in a second. Only about 100 more piccies. (Even 2 or 3 good ones. :lol: )
I'm posting them here.
As usual, I posted an invite in the CA section, but the takers were ....there weren't any.
So, off I went, south for a bit and then east and up out of the valley on Highway 4.
Out the door shortly after sunrise, and gliding along through the crisp morning air.
(I wrote that.)
This motard dude jumped in behind me and ran up on me, ...
and considered passing the old dude on the bagger,
.... but then he was made understand the diff between 450cc's and 1298 YAMAHA cubic centimeters
of displacement! hahahaha. ....How juvenile. I'm ashamed.
(I'm probably lucky the road wasn't real twisty, given my skills. :blink: )
Moving along.
Well, normally, when I go up Hwy. 4, I ride through Angel's Camp, and just as you're leaving town, you take a left, and head on up. So since I was daydreaming, that's what I did this time.
Well, there's been some changes.
What the ....?
So, I went back and realized that I'd driven right by the new turn-off.
I don't like it, but I suppose it's progress.
Okie doke.
Not far up the road, at about 2500 ft., sits the cool little town of Murphys. Named by the
Murphy boys who were a couple of the first fellows to bring wagons over the Sierras back in the mid-1800's.
This is main street and the Murphys Hotel.
(Mark Twain and Ulysses S. Grant stayed here -and signed the register- back when Dr. Rich was just a teen.)
Lots of folks come up here, park their cars, and just walk all over town.
Another victim of the poor economy?
Another shot of the hotel, but with a pretty gal walking by.
Continuing up the hill. Looks like Oregon, huh? Except without the sneaky LEO's.
As you go higher, the trees get smaller and the forest less dense.
A few miles from the pass, the road narrows suddenly, the center line goes away, and Lake Alpine
appears on your right - - - unless you're riding backwards, and then it would be ........
I came up behind three couples on H-D's just past Alpine, and instead of passing them, I just followed at
a respectful distance for a good few miles. It was very relaxing, and I'm sure they were having a
really great time, just rumbling along, enjoying the incredible scenery. Me too.
It looked like this...
You actually see a lot of motorcycles on this road on weekends.
Well, ......not that many. But a good few. Even some "fat" bikes.
Just before the summit area, there's good old Mosquito Lake.
Well stocked with walleye. That's a native fish found only in this lake. Nowhere else.
Nice country up here. AND, it stays relatively cool of course, while the valley is sweltering. Hovered around
70 this day.
I had brought a sack lunch, so I turned off the main road...
and found a spot where I could "set a spell".
Encountered a family with a half-dozen horses, preparing to head out into the high country on an outing.
Only got pics of the horses.
Nice brand. (I had just been listening to U2 and Mary J. Blige singing One.)
Not sure what this horsey body-language was saying.
And then down the other side.
I'll wrap up this mess in a second. Only about 100 more piccies. (Even 2 or 3 good ones. :lol: )
